Suggested Syllabus for 7Sisters MLA Research Paper Writing Course

While there’s not ONE right way to create a research paper syllabus for your homeschool high schoolers, we get requests for examples that can be tweaked. This is the syllabus that 7Sister Allison uses in her homeschool group classes. It will give you a good idea about creating a syllabus for this important writing assignment. (For more information on creating a syllabus, check out this post.)

Note: This syllabus sample offers several different lengths of time for the project.

Syllabus for MLA Research Paper

Name of text:

MLA Research Paper Writing Guide, 7SistersHomeschool.com 

Purpose of the course:

The purpose of the course is to understand the purpose and process of writing an MLA research paper, as well as producing a research paper in the MLA format.

Other requirements:

Skipping steps in the process or rushing steps together results in anxiety for the student and a poor final paper. Homework should be turned in to parent or teacher for accountability and feedback to ensure that the student does not procrastinate.

For students who need help choosing a topic, read this post. 

Source & Citation requirements:

If you are writing a 7 or 8-page paper, you will need:

• minimum of 5 sources with at least 1 book, 1 periodical, 1 internet source. You must have at least one citation from a source in order to count it as one of your 5 sources.
• minimum of 25 note cards
• minimum of 12 in-text citations

If you are writing a 9 or 10-page paper, you will need:

• minimum of 5 sources with at least 1 book, 1 periodical, 1 internet source. You must have at least one citation from a source in order to count it as one of your 5 sources.
• minimum of 30 note cards
• minimum of 15 in-text citations

Basic timelines for projects of various lengths:

• Below you will find suggested timelines for progressing through the MLA Research Paper Writing Guide. Parent/Teacher and student should decide before beginning this project how many pages the final paper should be and how long they will take to complete the project.
• Base these decisions on the student’s skill level and experience as well as other scheduling factors in the school plan. (In general, I recommend that a student take at least 4 weeks for a research project and no more than 10 weeks, regardless of the length of the final paper.)
• This minimum and maximum encourages thorough research, analysis of material, and careful writing while avoiding procrastination and loss of drive in the project.

Timeline for 4-Week MLA Research Paper Project

• week 1: Checkpoints 1-5
• week 2: continue research & Checkpoints 6-9
• week 3: Checkpoints 10-14
• week 4: Checkpoints 15-17

Timeline for 6-Week MLA Research Paper Project

• week 1: Checkpoints 1-5
• week 2: continue research & Checkpoints 6-7
• week 3: Checkpoints 8-9
• week 4: Checkpoints 10-12
• week 5: Checkpoints 13-15
• week 6: Checkpoints 16-17

Timeline for 8-Week MLA Research Paper Project

• week 1: Checkpoints 1-2
• week 2: Checkpoint 3
• week 3: Checkpoints 4-5
• week 4: continue research & Checkpoints 6-7
• week 5: Checkpoints 8-9
• week 6: Checkpoints 10-12
• week 7: Checkpoints 13-15
• week 8: Checkpoints 16-17

Timeline for 10-Week Research Paper Project

• week 1: Checkpoints 1-2
• week 2: Checkpoint 3
• week 3: Checkpoint 3 continued
• week 4: continue research & Checkpoints 4-5
• week 5: continue research & Checkpoints 6-7
• week 6: Checkpoints 8-9
• week 7: Checkpoints 10-12
• week 8: Checkpoints 13-14
• week 9: Checkpoints 15-16
• week 10: Checkpoint 17

Weekly Details for 8-Week Syllabus

Homework: Prior to your official start date

1. Read and complete chapter 1 of MLA Research Paper Writing Guide (Choosing Your Topic).
2. Prepare a purpose statement (checkpoint 1).
3. Begin finding sources. NO WIKIPEDIA

Week 1: Due – Purpose Statement

Refer to MLA Research Paper Writing Guide Chapters 2 & 4

Homework

1. Create a working bibliography (checkpoint 2). NO WIKIPEDIA
2. Begin researching and creating notecards (checkpoint 3).
3. Create a preliminary outline (checkpoint 6).

Week 2: Due – Working Bibliography, Preliminary Outline

Refer to MLA Research Paper Writing Guide Chapter 3

Homework

1. Complete the Thesis Exercise from your guide (Checkpoint 4). For more information on writing a Thesis Statement, read this post.
2. Finalize your thesis, based on your thesis exercise. (Checkpoint 5)
3. Continue researching and creating notecards.

Week 3: Due – Thesis Statement (typed), 10 notecards

Refer to MLA Research Paper Writing Guide Chapter 4

Homework

1. Continue research and notecard creation.
2. Develop a detailed, formal outline (checkpoint 7).
3. Revise and fill-in your outline based on continued research (checkpoints 8-9).

Week 4: Due – Formal Outline, 15 more notecards

Refer to MLA Research Paper Writing Guide Chapter 5

Homework

1. Schedule your rough draft consultation with a parent/teacher.
2. Write your rough draft (Checkpoints 10-12).

Week 5: Continue writing your rough draft.

Week 6: **Due – completed, printed rough draft**

Refer to MLA Research Paper Writing Guide Chapter 6

Homework

1. Create in-text citations and Works Cited page (checkpoints 13-14). *See requirements on page 1*
2. Rough Draft consultation: Meet with parent/teacher at your scheduled time.

Week 7: Refer to MLA Research Paper Writing Guide Chapter 7

Homework

1. Revise your paper based on your consultation (checkpoint 15-16).
2. Edit your paper.
3. Print out your final copy following specifications in your guide. (Checkpoint 17).

Week 8: Final paper due. YOU DID IT!

10 Week Syllabus

Week 1: Refer to MLA Research Paper Writing Guide Intro & Chapter 1

Homework

1. Read and complete chapter 1 of MLA Research Paper Writing Guide (Choosing Your Topic).
2. Prepare a purpose statement (checkpoint 1).
3. Begin finding sources. NO WIKIPEDIA

Week 2: Due – Purpose Statement Refer to MLA Research Paper Writing Guide Chapters 2 & 4

Homework

1. Create a working bibliography (checkpoint 2). NO WIKIPEDIA
2. Begin researching and creating notecards (checkpoint 3).
3. Create a preliminary outline (checkpoint 6).

Week 3: Due – Working Bibliography, Preliminary Outline Refer to MLA Research Paper Writing Guide Chapter 3

Homework

1. Complete the Thesis Exercise from your guide (Checkpoint 4). For more information about writing a thesis statement, read this post.
2. Finalize your thesis, based on your thesis exercise. (Checkpoint 5)
3. Continue researching and creating notecards.

Week 4: Due – Thesis Statement (typed), 10 notecards

Homework

1. Continue research and notecard creation.

Week 5: Due – 10 more notecards Refer to MLA Research Paper Writing Guide Chapter 4

Homework

1. Continue research and notecard creation.
2. Develop a detailed, formal outline (checkpoint 7).
3. Revise and fill-in your outline based on continued research (checkpoints 8-9).

Week 6: Due – Formal Outline, 10 more notecards Refer to MLA Research Paper Writing Guide Chapter 5

Homework

1. Schedule your rough draft consultation with a parent/teacher.
2. Write your rough draft (Checkpoints 10-12).

Week 7: Continue writing your rough draft.

Week 8: **Due – completed, printed rough draft** Refer to MLA Research Paper Writing Guide Chapter 6

Homework

1. Create in-text citations and Works Cited page (checkpoints 13-14). *See requirements on page 1*
2. Rough Draft consultation: Meet with parent/teacher at your scheduled time.

Week 9: Refer to MLA Research Paper Writing Guide Chapter 7

Homework

1. Revise your paper based on your consultation (checkpoint 15-16).
2. Edit your paper.
3. Print out your final copy following specifications in your guide. (Checkpoint 17).

Week 10: Final Paper Due. YOU DID IT!

7Sisters email subscribers receive periodic practical encouragement, special offers and NO SPAM EVER.

Click the image above to periodically receive real homeschool value in your inbox.

The post Suggested Syllabus for 7Sisters MLA Research Paper Writing Course appeared first on 7sistershomeschool.com.